Corn-planter.



Nrrn Tn'rns i L ATnNT CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,984, dated April 2,1901.

Application led August 21. 1899.

To @ZZ whom, it may concern.:

Beit known that I, CHARLES S. CRossLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, in the county of Licking, State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Planters; and I dohereby declare the following t-o he a full, clear, and exactdescript-ion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to corn-planters; and it has for one object toprovide a construction which may be operated to plant corn at regularintervals automatically and in which the location of each line ofplanting will be indicated by a mark made in the earth.

A further object of the invention is to combine with a mechanism of thisnature adjustable means for making a furrow to receive the seed-corn andmeans for throwing the dropping mechanism into and out of operativeengagement with the supporting-wheels of the apparatus.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in whichlike letters of ref erence indicate similar parts in the several views,Figure l is a perspective view, partly broken away, showing a planterconstructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on line2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is asection on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Axles t are attached to the under sides of the rails a and b, adjacentto their forward ends, upon each of which is journaled asupporting-wheel Z, as shown, adapted to turn independently of saidaxle. Supported above the second cross-piece d upon angle-irons m or inany other suitable manner is a support n, extending beyond the rails aand b and having arranged upon its upper surface and adjacent each endthereof a hopper 0. In the slot p is slidably arranged a plate or slidefr, the ends of which project beyond the adjacent sides of the hopper atall times to prevent displacement of the plate. This plate 'r has avertical perforation s therein, so located that when the slide is attheinner limit of motion the perforations will lie within the hopper toreceive a number of seeds proportionate to its size, and when it is atthe limit of its outward movement the perforation will Serial No.728,042. (No model.)

In order that the seeds may be dropped at' the proper time,I havepivotally mounted in each chute a plate in, having trunnions y extendingupon a common axis and journaled in hearings in the sides of the chute.Upon the outer face of each of the plates tr is a lug, which is providedwith a vertical threaded perforation to receive a screw h', which ispassed through a slot in the plate r. The screws b also form a means ofattachment of levers c pivotally to ears d', carried by the support n,the opposite ends of said .levers extending-inwardly along the supportand being pivotally connected with the laterallyextending cross-head dof an angular lever e', which is pivoted at its angle to ears f',carried by the cross-piece d and whose foot extends rearwardly of theframe of the machine and into the path of a knocker carried by therearaxlef of the machine. This knocker g' consists of a hub h, looselymounted upon the axle f and provided with radial spokes t', havinglaterally-extending heads 7c', adapted to make immediate engagement withthe toot Z' of the lever e', the lengths of said spokes being such thattheir heads will engage the earth as they rotate and make marks in theform of depressions therein.

In order to detachably connect the hub of the knocker with the axle f, Iconnect with said axle, by means of a spline or in any other desirablemanner, a slidable body fm', having a serrated end n', whose projectionsare adapted to enter corresponding serrations in the adjacent end of thehub of the knocker. A helical spring r', surrounding the axle f, bearsat one end against the body m and at the other upon a collar s',adjustably connected with the axle by means of a set-screw t and tendsto force the projections of the body m' into engagement with the hub ofthe knocker. In order to disengage the body m' from the hub of theknocker, I form a pe- IOO ripheral groove inv the latter,and in thisgroove I arrange the legs of a spanner u, having an upwardly-extendingoperating-handled, pivotally connected with a hanger c", depending fromthe cross-piece lw', supported upon irons fr' and y', tiXed to therrailsd and b. Carried bythe cross-piece w' is also a notched plate z', Whosenotches are formed at one edge of a longitudinal slot therein, throughwhich slot the handle c' is passed and with which notches it is adaptedto engage. Thus by manipulation of the handle c' the striker may bedisconnected from operative engagement with the axlef, and when saidhandle is released such engagement will be effected by means of thespring r. "lhus, the knocker being in operative engagement with itsaxle, the radial spokes will successively engage the foot of the levere, causing it to operate to draw the adjacent ends of the lever coutwardly and force the plates r into the hoppers to receive theseed-corn in their perforations. This engagement of the spoke-heads withthe lever c is in a downward direction, and the initial engagement withlever e is at such a point as to make its depression gradual. When,however, thespokes have passed from the lever, the helical spring A,attached at one end to lever e and at the other end to the support n,will draw the head of the lever e' backwardly to project theperforations in plates r beyond the hoppers and over the chutes,depositing the seeds into their respective chutes and into the pocketsformed by plates and the adjacent portions of the chutes. As the nextknocker-spoke engages the lever e the plates @c are operated to releasethe corn and it is dropped from the chutes.

Y In order to form a furrow for each chute, I pivotally connectdrag-bars B to depending ears C on the under sides of the frontcrosspieces c, which drag-bars are adapted to eX- tend in alineinentwith their respective chutes and each of which has adownwardly-extending furrow-opener secured to its rearwardlyextendingfree end. These furrow-openers D are semicrcular in cross-section attheir upper ends and taper downwardly to points, as shown, their rearsurfaces being curved slightly backwardly in vertical planes andtheirfront surfaces being concaved,as shown.

In 4order to regulate the depths of the furrows, I attach a cord orchain to each dragbar B, which latter are passed upwardly and overpulleys or other forms of guides on the under side of support n and areengaged with lever E on opposite sides of its pivotal connection withthe under side of support n. The lever E has an operating-handle, asshown, for its manipulation and may be held in its adjusted position inany desired manner. Thus by manipulation of the lever E the connectionwith the furrow-forming drag-bars may be manipulated to raise or lowerthe furrow-openers D to vary the depths of the furrows formed.

It will be readily understood that I may vary the specic constructionand arrangement shown and that any suitable materials and proportionsmay be used without depart` ing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl.Aplantercolnprisingarectangularframe having side rails and connectingend rails, a wheel mounted at the forward end of each side rail,an axlemounted transversely of the frame near the rear ends thereof, wheelskeyed to the ends of the axle to cause it to revolve when the planterisdrawn, a support mounted above the frame and transversely thereof, ahopper mounted upon each end of the support, slots in the bottoms of thehoppers, plates slidably arranged in the slots and having verticalperforations, levers pivoted to the support at their centers, each leverhaving its outer end pivoted to a plate, an angle-lever pivoted at thecenter of the frame and having its upper end pivotally connected to theinner ends of the first-named levers, a spring for holding theangle-lever at its upward limit of motion, drag-bars pivoted to theforward cross-pieces having down wardly-projecting furrow-openers,alever mounted upon the support at the forward end of the frame, cordsconnected to the lever and to the dragbars to permit of their beingraised and lowered, a knocker mounted to rotate on the axle at the rearof the frame and adapted to engage the angle-lever when rotated, meansfor causing the knocker to rotate with the axle, and vertical chutesmounted in the rear of the hoppers.

2. Aplantercomprisingarectangularframe having side rails and connectingend rails, a wheel mounted at the forward end of each side rail,an axlem ounted transversely of the fra me near the ends thereof, wheels keyedto the ends of the axle to cause it to revolve when the planter isdrawn,a support mounted above the frame and transversely thereof, ahopper mounted upon each end of the support, slots in the bottoms of thehoppers, plates slidably arranged in the slots and having verticalperforations, vertical chutes mounted in the rear of the hoppers, platespivoted in the chutes and having trunnions mounted in bearings in thevsides of the chutes, the upper ends of the plates being` connected tothe adjacent ends of the slidable plates, levers pivoted to the supportat their centers, each lever having its outer end pivoted to a plate, anangle-lever pivoted at the center of the frame and having its upper endpivotally connected to the inner ends of the first-named levers, aspring for holding the angle-lever at its upward limit of motion,drag-'bars pivoted to the forward cross-pieces havingdownwardly-projecting furrow-openers, a lever mounted upon the supportat the forward end of the frame, cords connected to the lever and to thedragbars to permit of their being raised and lowered, a knocker mountedto rotate on the axle IOO IIO

ISO

at the rear of the frame and adapted to enwhereby the sleeve maybeoperated 'no cause gage the anglelever when rotated, teeth its lteeth toengage those of the knoeker. Io formed upon one side of the knoeker, asleeve In testimony whereof I afx my signature slidably arranged uponthe axle, means for in presence of two Witnesses.

5 Causing the sleeve bo rotate with the axle, a, CHARLES S. CROSSLEY.

groove encircling the sleeve, teeth upon one Witnesses: end of thesleeve, a lever'pivoted upon the D. A. REDMAN,

, frame and hav-ing fingers resting in the groove D. E. RAISON.

